THE EDITOR – Somalia retains its reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous destinations. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office warns of a “high threat of kidnap.” The US Department of State classifies Somalia as “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” citing “crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health, kidnapping, piracy and lack of availability of routine consular services.”
Those warnings are far from theoretical. Al Shabab militants continue to operate across Somalia, including in Mogadishu, where the group carried out several deadly attacks in early 2025.
So why does anyone want to travel there?
Karin Sinniger, a Swiss traveler who visited in 2020 told CNN Travel that the trip was part of a personal challenge: an attempt to visit all 193 UN-recognized countries and scuba dive in each one. When her gear was lost in transit, a local lobster diver on Mogadishu’s Lido Beach lent her a makeshift “hookah system” — a long hose attached to an air compressor — so she could complete her dive.
Willcox said many of his clients are also on “country counting” missions or are travelers seeking extreme destinations. “Mogadishu is the most high-risk destination Untamed Borders operates in,” he said, adding that he’s guided and organized tours to Mogadishu for over a decade without incidents. “The risk of attacks is real. All of the limited places where international guests can stay are potential targets. You can’t go off radar in Mogadishu.”
Still, he added, the fierce fighting of previous decades has drastically declined. Among those taking advantage of that relative stability was Peter Bullock, a retired sewage engineer from the United Kingdom who visited Somalia in November 2024 with Untamed Borders as part of a personal quest to visit all 52 African countries.
‘Pleasant experience’
Outside of Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, tourists need an armed police escort and the region’s “borders” with Somalia are typically listed as no-go zones by Western governments. But for Dylan Harris, founder of Lupine Travel, who has operated here since 2013, Somaliland is always a safer bet than Somalia.
“For Somaliland, the big highlight is the 5,000-year-old cave paintings at Laas Geel,” Harris said. “But people are also interested in the abandoned ships at the old port city of Berbera.
“There are less people interested in Somalia, likely because of the fact Somaliland is currently a lot safer to visit and most of the region is possible to travel around.”
Claire Makin, who enjoys travelling to hard-to-reach destinations and visited both regions with Untamed Borders, agreed. “Somaliland will get on the tourist map long before Somalia,” she said. In Mogadishu, she felt too restricted by security to talk to locals. “In Somaliland, the people were welcoming and could not believe we had chosen to visit their country. Somalia, though, is not for the faint hearted.”
In November 2025, Untamed Borders and Lupine Travel were running several trips to Mogadishu timed to coincide with the Most Traveled People’s Summit, an annual gathering of extreme travelers taking place in November 2025 in neighboring Ethiopia. For many summit participants, a short side trip to Somalia will be a hot ticket.
But Somalia is likely to remain a niche destination for the foreseeable future. Even with its new eVisa, the country’s tourism landscape remains fragmented. The central government’s system currently applies only to Mogadishu arrivals; Somaliland and Puntland, another semi-autonomous region, have rejected it, maintaining their own entry requirements.
Still, Willcox said his first guests have used the new eVisa system successfully. And the very fact that Somalia has launched an eVisa could prove a significant step forward for the nation’s fledgling tourist industry.
“I’ve seen a lot of eVisa systems go into place over the years, in countries like Pakistan and Tajikistan where we work,” he said. “So far, I’d say this Somali one has been the best. No one’s done a better implementation.”
